Vanessa Pidutti

The General Amherst Lady Gens finished the 2017 WECSSAA Tier 3 girls soccer regular season and were looking forward to the playoffs.

The Lady Gens finished 2-2-2 on the regular season after a 0-0 tie against Catholic Central last Thursday afternoon at the Libro Centre. The two teams didn’t combine for any goals but they definitely got wet as the game was played under cold and rain conditions.

Vanessa Pidutti (centre) tries to split through a pair of Catholic Central players during last Thursday’s game at the Libro Centre. The game was played in pouring rain.

“It was cold standing there,” said goalkeeper Delilah Brouwer, who picked up the shutout for General Amherst. “I hate playing in the rain.”

Brouwer voiced concern of the ball slipping through her wet gloves during a game like that. She did her best to stay warm and her play earned the praise of coach Mark Sweet after the game, particularly in light of the fact Brouwer has also been playing with a broken finger.

“It was really bad,” Brouwer said of the weather. “I just tried to move around. I kept my eye on the ball. It could be in my net in two seconds if I didn’t.”

Brouwer believed the Lady Gens are playing well and was hopeful that the team could do well in the playoffs.

Morgan Queen boots a corner kick last week.

“Lady Luck needs to come back to us,” said Sweet.

Sweet was pleased with the Lady Gens’ effort in the game against Catholic Central.

“I thought there were very few mistakes considering the weather conditions,” said Sweet.

While a 0-0 game “is never great,” Sweet said he was happy with how General Amherst performed. The playoffs opened yesterday, after this issue went to press, but Sweet said after last Thursday’s game they were looking to progress in the playoffs.

“We’re taking it game by game,” he said.

The playoff game was at St. Joseph. It was the first time all season that General Amherst played a road game as all six regular season games were on the turf field at the Libro Centre.

It was a difficult week for the General Amherst Lady Gens soccer team.

The Lady Gens fell short in a pair of one-goal matches, the most recent of which was a 2-1 defeat at the hands of the Kingsville Cavaliers last Thursday afternoon at the Libro Centre.

General Amherst’s Olivia Aucoin brings the ball upfield during the Lady Gens’ 2-1 loss to Kingsville April 27.

Vanessa Pidutti scored the lone goal for the Lady Gens.

“That was a very tough one,” said General Amherst coach Mark Sweet.

The Lady Gens had numerous opportunities to tie the game late but just couldn’t find a way to get the goal they needed.

“Lady Luck wasn’t with us today,” said Sweet.

General Amherst played great defensively, he added, and the offensive chances were there.

“We had enough to win the game,” said Sweet. “We take the wins with the losses and move on.”

The game two days earlier against the Leamington Lions followed the same pattern. Sweet said they had 13 attempts on the Leamington goal with the Lions only having two attempts but it was Leamington coming away with the 1-0 victory. That game was also played at the Libro Centre.

Morgan Queen takes a corner kick during second half action of a WECSSAA Tier 3 girls soccer game at the Libro Centre April 21.

“I thought we were the better team on that day again,” said Sweet. “We can’t buy luck.”

The girls are working hard and remain determined, with Sweet saying the coaches can’t ask for more and that they are proud of them. They have to get the girls back up and ready to play their next game.

General Amherst, now 2-2-1 on the WECSSAA Tier 3 girls soccer season, conclude the regular season on their home turf Thursday at 4 p.m. versus the Catholic Central Comets.

The General Amherst Lady Gens started off the 2017 girls soccer season on a good note with two victories last week.

After downing the Kennedy Clippers 7-4 last Tuesday, the Lady Gens returned to the Libro Centre field Thursday and downed Lamothe-Cadillac 4-0.

Jenna Fiala (right) tries to play the ball away from a pair of Lamothe-Cadillac defenders last Thursday afternoon at the Libro Centre. General Amherst won the girls soccer game 4-0.

Vanessa Pidutti scored six of her team’s seven goals in the Kennedy game with Morgan Queen scoring the other. Pidutti scored again Thursday with Jenna Fiala, Emma Blanchette and Olivia Aucoin also scoring for the Lady Gens.

Delilah Brouwer picked up the shutout against Lamothe-Cadillac, the latter being a Francophone school located in west Windsor.

Vanessa Pidutti kicks the ball while being watched by a Lamothe-Cadillac defender last Thursday afternoon. She scored seven goals in her team’s first two games.

Coaches Mark Sweet and Lisa Voakes were pleased with how the Lady Gens performed in the first week of the season.

“They were really solid today,” Sweet said after Thursday’s win.

Sweet said the girls have a great attitude and praised their work ethic.

“They put in a lot of effort today,” said Sweet. “I am pleased with their determination. They are very hard working.”

Roughly half the team are new players with Sweet saying there are some travel and house league caliber players on there. Players vary in experience but Sweet said they aim to go as far as they can this season.

Brittnee Meloche inbounds a ball during first half action against Lamothe-Cadillac.

“All of the girls are easy to coach,” added Voakes. “Due to our work ethic, we expect them to do well this year.”

The Lady Gens are at home Tuesday against Cardinal Carter and they are at the Libro Centre again Thursday for a 4 p.m. game against the Leamington Lions.